Monday, July 14, 2008

Parenthood

I finally feel like a parent. Alexander has been sick since Friday night and its Tuesday morning. It would be fine if it was just a cold but it wasn't. He tossed his cookies Friday night at 12 then had a fever all night. Then he had a fever all Saturday that kept coming and going every few hours. He cried a lot and wouldn't eat or drink. Then he had a fever all night Saturday and started his runny nose and coughing a lot. Then he had a fever all Sunday and started getting crankier and crankier. The fever kept going all Sunday night into Monday morning and he started getting the shakes. He refused to sleep in his bed or our bed so I was on the couch with him all Sunday night into Monday morning getting an hour of sleep here and there when he did. His fever went down after I gave him Tylenol but would go back up to 102 when it wore off. This happened all weekend. So I finally called the pediatrician. He got us in Monday afternoon at 5. We found out he seems to have athsma or however you spell that and it's trigger is a runny nose. He also started getting an ear infection. So he is on three medications right now because the doctor said he is more aggressive with it because if you hit it hard in the beginning it will go away faster and wont come back as much over the years. Alexander was so exhausted last night from not sleeping more than an hour at a time for the last three days that he slept the whole night in his bed ( I am sure the medication helped too). I finally got some sleep last night too and I hope this doesn't happen again any time soon because I was up with Eva and then Alexander too. It became too much, that is why I called the doctor finally. The only good thing about this whole thing was that some how they didn't cry at the same time .I would get ALexander to calm down and go to sleep for a bit and then Eva would wake up and I would get her fed and changed and calm and asleep then Alexander would get up again. I didn't mention Daniel in this but he helped a lot over the weekend taking Alexander in the nights and sleeping in the other room with him when he would. I wanted Daniel to get a good nights sleep on Sunday night so he could work the next day and thats when I got no sleep at all. I can feel myself getting sick for the lack of sleep and now Eva's nose is blocked up again. This is the first time I have felt like a parent overwhelmed. I am sure it gets way worse over time but wow I don't want to experience this again for a long time or at least until Eva starts sleeping 6 hours straight so I can be ready for an experience like this and not already exhausted before it starts.
Miriam
P.S no pictures because the camera is broken still and all you would see was sick children.

3 comments:

Heather said...

I am so sorry. That sounds like a horrible weekend. So Alexander has asthma? Do they think that it's just something he'll have as a child and he'll grow out of it? Or do they think it's something he'll have for good? I hope you guys are starting to recuperate a little. We miss you guys!

Wiley Family said...

Hi guys. Sorry to hear about your tough weekend. If it's any comfort Mana had asthma when he was a baby once he finished his treatment I haven't had any problems since. Hopefully that will be the same with Alexander. Having sick children is very difficult indeed.

Sarah said...

Ooooh that sucks - what a horrible weekend! Poor Alexander! And you, getting no sleep. You truly are a parent, sacrificing your health (and sleep) for your children! I do hope everyone gets to feeling better, and soon!!